Capital machinery projects are made more successful using principles of Lean Daily Management. Three key disciplines include daily start of shift meetings, job site or Gemba communication boards and housekeeping based on 5S. The site project manager is the key leader to start the Lean Daily Management process, with participation throughout the project from the customer/owner, machinery builder and third party contractors. The three key disciplines will be treated in some detail.
Daily start of shift meetings provide a foundation for the day. The meeting should start at the beginning of the working shift, and attendance should include all team members working at the site. This includes the customer or owner, machinery builder engineers, technicians and project managers, and third party contractors. Beginning with safety, the site project manager leads the meeting, and reviews the priorities of the day. Benefits of the meeting include clear understanding of the work to be done, and visual connection of team members with each other in the same place, at the same time.
A Gemba communication board is the facilitation tool for the start of shift meeting, and is a communication tool for anyone who needs information about the project. A Gemba board is often included on executive tours of a factory or project site. The basic categories of Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost are addressed on the board. The board is normally an eight foot long white dry-erase board, ideally on rolling wheels, so that it can be moved around the site. Although simple, it is a powerful communication tool that brings focus to the job site. The board should be updated daily by the primary site project manager, and should be located for highest visibility by project team members.
The last key discipline is housekeeping, using the 5S approach from Lean. Housekeeping on a project site is important because team members are able to clearly see the work to be done, and quickly find tools and information needed to complete the work. 5S comes from Lean which is based on the Toyota Production System. It means Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. While a deeper explanation of 5S is a future topic, it easy to see that an orderly, clean project site leads to more success compared with a site that is in disarray.
Summarizing, Lean Daily Management provides direct benefits to capital machinery projects. Start of shift meetings, a Gemba communication board, and housekeeping based on 5S form a foundation for project success. The site project manager is the key leader to launch Lean Daily Management, and all team members have roles in sustaining it. Results include better safety performance, shorter time schedules, lower project cost and better project outcomes. Wilmarco Technologies has experience delivering Lean Daily Management solutions in capital machinery environments. Contact us now to learn more.